Pat Dawson, left, co-founder of Compassionate People Aiding Texans; Charlie Striedel, University of Houston-Victoria interim facilities director; and Ruby Ruiz, director of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore Outlet; stand in front of some of the mattresses left inside the former Inn Place Hotel. UHV is donating about 150 mattresses to the two organizations.

Area residents in need of a bed soon will be able to rest easier thanks to the University of Houston-Victoria’s donation of about 150 mattresses and other items to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore Outlet and Compassionate People Aiding Texans.

The double- and king-sized mattresses were left inside the former Inn Place Hotel, 2705 Houston Highway, when UHV purchased it in December. The university is renovating the hotel into Jaguar Hall, UHV’s first residence hall.

“This is a win-win for everyone since we need to clear out these mattresses before renovations can proceed further and these organizations are looking for donations to help those who are less fortunate,” UHV President Tim Hudson said.

Representatives from the two organizations started moving the beds out of Jaguar Hall last week.

UHV is donating about 80 double-sized mattresses and 30 bed frames to Compassionate People Aiding Texans, a Victoria-based organization that takes in donations of items such as furniture, towels and dishes, and works with area nonprofits to distribute them for free to people in need.

“These beds mean that I will be able to get a lot of children up off the floor,” CPAT co-founder Pat Dawson said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to. This really helps out.”

UHV also is donating about 75 king-sized mattresses and about 150 headboards to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore Outlet, which sells new and used building materials and fixtures at 1101 N. William St. All of the proceeds from the outlet store are used to help Habitat for Humanity build affordable housing for the needy.

“We appreciate this donation so much,” ReStore Director Ruby Ruiz said. “It helps the environment by keeping these mattresses out of the landfill. It helps customers in these difficult economic times by providing them with an affordable way to purchase a mattress, and we’re also raising money to help build more Habitat houses right here in Victoria.”

In addition, UHV donated 1,600 pounds of food left in the hotel kitchen to the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent on Dec. 23.

“As we come across more items, we hope to donate more to area nonprofits,” said Charlie Striedel, UHV interim facilities director.

The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region, offers courses leading to more than 65 bachelor’s and master’s degree
programs and concentrations in the schools of Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Education & Human Development, and Nursing. UHV provides face-to-face
classes at its Victoria campus as well as teaching sites in Fort Bend and Harris counties, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. Since its
founding in 1973, UHV has provided students with a quality university education from excellent faculty at an affordable price.